Next Maker Club October 5

making things move with electric motors

Saturday, October 5 from 4:30-6PM


Special Early Club on Thursday, October 3 (7-830PM) for those who want to learn how to solder and pre-fabricate parts of their project.


We will be learning how electric power from a battery translates into locomotion of simple cardboard vehicles using propellers, wheels, and jumps.


There are three projects available:


The Frog Hopper

Check out this youtube video that we based our working model on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPihbds45Tk


Construct a hopping cardboard frog complete with battery, switch, motors, and pulleys.  It’s adorable and fun to make.  It’s our most advanced project because the parts are intricate so come to the Special Early Club to get a head start.



The Aerocar

This is our previous wind-up propeller car that uses a simple battery-switch-motor circuit to run a propeller at high speeds.  It gets a slow start but really picks up speed on a straightaway.  This is our easiest project and can be done by all ages.  Decorating it always a fun activity too.



Shoebox Racer

A simple car made of a shoebox, self-made wheels, and a battery-switch-motor-pulley-drivewheel.  This one is intermediate in difficulty because of the need to tension the pulleys well.  Younger makers will want help from their parents.  The result is an incredibly fast shoebox car that can handle some uneven terrain like a parking lot.  Bring a stuffed animal to ride inside or on the top for extra fun.  BRING YOUR OWN SHOEBOX.  And come to the Special Early Club if you want to learn how to solder the circuit yourself.




The Special Early Club

We will meet early to prepare some of the parts, and to give budding Makers the chance to learn an incredible skill that opens up a whole world of electronics: SOLDERING.  Soldering is using heat and metal to fuse electronic components together so they stay together and can hold up to real-life use, like hopping and rolling.  We will also learn a bit about how simple electric circuits and electric motors work.


RSVPs are Important

Because we have seen a lot of demand in our last few clubs we want to be ready with enough parts.  LET US KNOW you are coming and which project you want to make.  Email hans-erik.nelson@foothillcov.org with your RSVP!  Also RSVP for the Special Early Club.